This invention relates to a process involving the use of a pet food composition containing fermentable fibers to alter the function and composition of lymphoid tissue in an animal.
Recent research has suggested that dietary fiber is important for its fermentation properties in the large intestine of dogs and cats. For example, Reinhart, U.S. Pat. No. 5,616,569, describes the addition of fermentable dietary fiber to a pet food composition for the purpose of maintaining normal gastrointestinal function and ameliorating chronic diarrhea in animals. Howard et al, FASEB J. (1996) 10:A257, teach that fermentable fiber consumption by dogs can result in the partition of waste nitrogen from the urine to the feces, increasing nitrogen excretion through the feces of the animal. Sunvold et al, J. Anim. Sci. (1995) 73:1099-1109, found that feeding moderately fermentable fibers to dogs could promote gastrointestinal tract health by optimizing short chain fatty acid (SCFA) production in the intestines of the animals.
Disease prevention is important both in humans as well as animals. A healthy immune system plays an important role both in preventing and fighting diseases. The effects of certain dietary additives such as anti-oxidants and vitamins on the immune systems of animals has also been reported. However, there remains a need in the art for promoting a healthy immune system in animals such as dogs.